Fantasy Library.

Chapter 520 A Frank Talk
"what……"

When Aize entered the Chaowu family's living room, he first heard a small gasp.

The person was sitting in the living room, holding a cup of tea. When Aize came in, her pretty face turned slightly red for some reason.

"Miss Chaowu..."

Aize also stopped in his tracks, staring at Asagi Yoshino, stunned.

The two looked at each other in silence, which subtly changed the atmosphere.

Actually, Yoshino Asagi's trip was just a one-day stay at the Hitachi residence, nothing special.

Perhaps because yesterday's events had a significant impact on both of them, when they met again, they both felt that things were different from when they met before.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly what's different between Aize and Asagi Yoshino.

However, Yoshino Asagi's gaze towards Aize was no longer so direct, but rather somewhat evasive. Aize, in turn, was no longer able to treat Yoshino Asagi calmly as before, and seemed somewhat unnatural.

"...What are you two staring at each other for? Why aren't you saying anything?"

A somewhat frustrated voice suddenly rang out.

"Have we been ignored? Or can't you even see us anymore?"

The person speaking was naturally Murasame, who was looking after Asagi Yoshino.

Cong Yu floated above the living room, glancing at Asagi Yoshino and then at Aize. Seeing that the two were looking at each other in silence and ignoring her, her little face was full of puzzlement.

Of course, Cong Yu wasn't the only one who was ignored.

"Don't say that, Lord Congyu."

Hitachi Mako was also present, holding a teapot in her hand. The hot tea in Asagi Yoshino's hand seemed to be the one she had just poured, so she stood next to Asagi Yoshino, not far away at all, in fact, quite close.

However, Aize and Asagi Yoshino ignored her in front of her, only looking at each other, which made her blink and couldn't help but tease her.

"Isn't there a saying in China that 'a day apart feels like three autumns'? It's understandable that Lady Aize and Lady Yoshino miss each other so much!"

One sentence instantly made Asagi Yoshino realize what was happening, and her face turned even redder.

"W-What do you mean, 'a day apart feels like three autumns'? Moko, don't talk nonsense!"

Asatake Yoshino seemed somewhat flustered.

After reading shoujo manga all night, Yoshino Asatake's mind is no longer as rigid as before. Hitachi Mako's teasing immediately reminded her of some scenes from the manga.

Ironically, the biggest impact those comics had on Yoshino Asatake came from some rather stimulating scenes.

Don't assume that girls aren't interested in these things or find them disgusting. In fact, it's not just boys who are interested in these things; sometimes girls can be so risqué that boys have absolutely nothing to do with it.

Scientific research has also shown that women actually crave intimacy more than men, are more curious about it, and are more easily attracted to it.

Asatake Yoshino used to be clueless about these things, or rather, she was slow to react and wouldn't think about them much. But as a result of not returning home all night, she had already suffered a lot of stimulation and shock, and couldn't help but think about some things she shouldn't have.

Chao Wufang blushed furiously and felt she couldn't stay any longer.

"I'm going to dance practice!"

After a while, Chao Wufang shamefully fled.

"Wait……"

Seeing this, Aize was about to say something, but he couldn't stop Asagi Yoshino, who quickly ran away.

"Hurry and chase after her, Lady Aize!" Hitachi Mako immediately urged, "Lady Yoshino is at her weakest right now, making it the perfect time to take advantage of her weakness!"

"Yes, Master!" Cong Yu encouraged, waving her little fist and urging, "Go for it! It would be best to take down that Yoshino in one go!"

The two seemed quite excited, looking like gossipy people eager to see a good show.

"That's enough, you guys." Aize couldn't help but complain, "It's like I'm about to confess my love and propose. I just have some things I want to talk to Miss Chaowu about. Stop getting all excited."

"Oh dear, it's all the same, it's all the same!" Hitachi Mako stepped forward, pushing Aize's back as she pushed him away, saying, "No matter what Aize-sama wants to do to Yoshino-sama, now is the best time, it's definitely the right thing to do!"

"That's right, Master!" Cong Yu, always eager for a good show, floated over and, together with Hitachi Mako, pushed Aize's back, laughing, "Now's the time to show Master's manliness! In short, just go for it!"

Without giving Aize a chance to argue or speak, the two men pushed him out of the living room and then closed the sliding door, effectively expelling him from the country.

"No...you must have some serious illness!"

Aize couldn't even complain. Looking at the sliding door that was firmly closed, he sighed.

"Fine, let's go then."

Aize, who hadn't originally planned to chase after them, had no choice but to follow in the direction that Takefuyo had left, heading towards Kenji Shrine, seeing that the atmosphere had reached this point.

Before long, Aize arrived at the shrine's main hall, at the place where Asagi Yoshino used to dance.

When he arrived, Yoshino Asatake hadn't had a chance to dance yet; she had simply changed into Chihaya's shrine maiden outfit and met Aizawa briefly.

"Mr. Ai... Mr. Ai Ze?"

Seeing that Aize had caught up with them, Asagi Yoshino was also surprised, and then became nervous again.

Judging from her flushed face, she clearly hasn't quite calmed down yet.

In contrast, Aize had already adjusted his state of mind on the way here, and his mood had become calm.

"Will this bother you?" Aize smiled at Yoshino Asagi and said naturally as always, "If it bothers you, I'll leave now."

"No, no way." Asatake Yoshino quickly shook her head, took a deep breath, and barely managed to regain her composure before saying, "The offering dance is meant to be performed for others. Even if it's not performed for the gods, it's performed for everyone during festivals."

“I’m used to having someone watching over me. Even if Mr. Aize stays here, it won’t affect me.”

This is the most basic quality of a shrine maiden; otherwise, how could she dance the Kagura dance in front of others?

Even if there's just one person watching from the sidelines, or even if there's a huge crowd cheering her on like a tidal wave, as long as no one deliberately tries to sabotage her, Asagi Yoshino can wholeheartedly continue dancing without making any mistakes.

"That's good." Aize nodded and said, "If it won't bother you, I'll stay here and watch for a while."

The implication was that they would discuss other matters after Asagi Yoshino finished her dance practice.

"……it is good."

Asagi Yoshino realized that Aizawa had something to say, glanced at him, then looked away and responded softly.

Aize didn't hesitate at all. After finishing speaking, he went straight to the wall and sat down against it.

"Hoo..." Asagi Yoshino took another deep breath, adjusted her breathing, and finally regained her composure.

"bell--"

As the Kagura bell rang, Yoshino Asatake, holding a hoko bell in one hand and a Kagura bell in the other, began to dance gracefully.

Although I stayed away for a day, now that I'm back, I absolutely cannot miss my daily dance.

This is not only a necessary exercise, but also an absolutely essential ritual.

Asatake Yoshino comes here to dance every day. In addition to practicing this offering dance day after day, she also uses it to purify impurities and slow down the rate at which the impurities accumulate in Hoori.

For hundreds of years, the priestesses of the Asatake family have lived this way, including Asatake Yoshino's mother.

Therefore, this has long been a habit ingrained in the blood of the Asabu family, and the Asabu family's shrine maidens have passed down this tradition from generation to generation.

They can be bad at everything, but they absolutely cannot be bad at this offering dance.

They can give up anything, but they cannot fail to purify the filth of the woven fabric.

"Bell—ring—"

Asahi Yoshino then began to dance with fluid grace, her long sleeves fluttering, her skirt swirling, her movements coordinated and natural, her expression solemn and dignified, exuding a divine and otherworldly aura.

Upon seeing Yoshino Asagi's offering dance again, even though Aize had already prepared himself mentally, he still couldn't help but watch and became completely engrossed.

He was certain that no one would find the dance unbelievable.

He could assert that no one would find Yoshino Asagi unattractive at this moment.

Some may regard earthly beauties as dirt and not be attracted by the beautiful face of this priestess, but even if you are not a looks-obsessed person, as long as you are not blind, you will think that this offering dance is absolutely amazing.

That's why even Aize, who has lived two lives, was unknowingly drawn to Yoshino Asagi, who was dancing the Kagura dance. His eyes seemed to see nothing but that graceful figure.

Yoshino Asagi, dancing, possessed such great charm that Aize would never have felt that fleeting attraction.

Under these circumstances, Yoshino Asatake cleared her mind of all distractions and perfectly completed the offering dance.

"call……"

Asatake Yoshino exhaled as she put away the Hoko-rin and Kagura-rin, her solemn expression immediately relaxing.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

A moment later, Yoshino Asagi came to Aize and spoke apologetically.

“It wasn’t a long wait.” Aize shook his head and smiled. “After all, most people can only see Miss Asagi’s dance at festivals like the Spring Festival. I can enjoy this privilege all to myself, so it’s worth the wait no matter how long it takes.”

Besides, Yoshino Asagi's dance is so good, it's extremely pleasing to the eye and more exciting than any TV program, so how could anyone find it boring?

"It's just a Kagura dance, why make such a fuss?"

Asagi Yoshino felt a little embarrassed by what Aize said. After hesitating for a moment, she finally mustered up the courage to sit down next to Aize.

The two leaned against the wall, only about a hand's width apart. There was no one else in the hall, and it was so quiet that they could clearly hear each other's breathing.

The two remained silent, staring at the empty shrine, speechless for a long time.

Just when both of them felt the atmosphere was a bit dull, they spoke at the same time.

""sorry!""

Upon hearing this, both Aize and Asagi Yoshino were stunned.

"Why apologize?"

The next second, the two looked at each other again and said the exact same thing.

""you……""

In their moment of surprise, the two were about to speak again when they discovered that their voices and words overlapped once more.

The two fell silent, then burst into laughter in the next instant, instantly dispelling the somber atmosphere.

"You go first," Aize said with a smile. "Why do you need to apologize?"

“…Because yesterday, I think I lost my temper a bit.” Asagi Yoshino looked somewhat ashamed, and her smile turned bitter. She said, “I shouldn’t have suddenly lost my temper and left on my own while we were talking about serious matters. That was very rude.”

Although Yoshino Asatake can be stubborn at times, she is not an unreasonable person.

Yesterday's angry walkout, whether in her own eyes afterward or in the eyes of others, was somewhat inappropriate.

In Asahi Yoshino's view, Aizawa hadn't done anything wrong, and what she said wasn't anything excessive; it was just her opinion on the matter at hand. There was no reason for her to give her a hard time.

In light of this, Yoshino Asagi has been trying to apologize to Aize since yesterday.

“It’s nothing.” Aize naturally wouldn’t hold a grudge. Instead, he reflected on his words and said, “I was also wrong. I shouldn’t have spoken so coldly and heartlessly.”

“I should have thought of that. Things are different now. We are no longer strangers who just met. Even if Mr. An Qing’s marriage proposal was just a verbal agreement and a temporary measure, given our current relationship, I shouldn’t have just dumped it so easily.”

"That would be far too inhumane."

"So, I've always wanted to apologize to you, and I hope you can forgive me."

Aize's words softened Asagi Yoshino's expression considerably.

"It's not a matter of forgiveness or not. What Mr. Aize said was actually true, and it was just a suggestion at the time, not a direct conclusion. I shouldn't have been so sensitive."

Asatake Yoshino once again admitted her mistake.

"Even if we're both at fault, and we've both reflected deeply on our actions," Aize said softly, looking at Asagi Yoshino. "Let's just let this matter rest, okay?"

“Of course.” Asagi Yoshino nodded quickly and said, “I’m glad Mr. Aize said that.”

"That's good." Aize relaxed and smiled.

The two smiled at each other, and the atmosphere between them not only returned to normal, but also subtly brought them closer together.

Looking at the smiling Yoshino Asagi, Aize hesitated for a moment before finally speaking his mind.

"Then, regarding the engagement, I would like to have a serious talk with you, Miss Chaowu, is that alright?"

Upon hearing this, Asahi Yoshino suppressed her smile and nodded.

It's time for us to have an open and honest talk about this once-in-a-lifetime event that has been postponed.

(End of this chapter)